This weekend they'll finish that task. The new bridge opens next summer. I-35W will close in both directions starting at 10 tonight until 5 Monday morning, with ramps along the interstate closing around 9 p.m. Friday.

The detour takes drivers to I-394, Highway 100, and Highway 62. MnDOT was monitoring the traffic impacts last weekend and says that traffic congestion was comparable to weekday rush hour traffic. Consider using other routes like Highway 55, Highway 169, or I-494. Expect many of the major side roads in and out of south Minneapolis to be packed as well.

Starting Friday morning, the Portland Avenue Bridge spanning I-94 shuts down until late November. The detour takes drivers to Chicago Avenue. All the closures are related to the larger four-year I-35W and I-94 project that aims to reconstruct pavement, bridges, and ramps along the interstate, plus build a new transit station along I-35W.

In the east metro, Shepard Road is also closing for the second weekend in a row. The roadway will close between Randolph Avenue and Eagle Parkway in St. Paul both Saturday and Sunday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The detour takes motorists to West 7th Street. The work is related to work on the Smith Avenue Bridge, which closed in early September. Learn more about the project.